50 States of RAPE: A Brutally Honest Documentary

50 States of RAPE: A Brutally Honest Documentary

New Mexico filmmaker Kyle Karges holds nothing back in a film about ‘America’s dirtiest secret.’

Filmmaker Kyle Karges of Las Cruces, N.M., is on a mission: create awareness about the prevalence and seriousness of rape in America. His upcoming documentary is called 50 States of RAPE and the project launch coincides with April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Under the guidance of executive producer Mark Medoff, Karges dares to take on this monstrous subject. Medoff is the author of 26 plays and 11 movies, including Clara’s Heart, Off Beat and City of Joy. Medoff won a Tony Award in 1980 for his play, Children of a Lesser God.

“We’re going to take on the unspoken and often scoffed-at culture of rape in America,” says Karges. “It’s more widespread than you think and it exists everywhere. This is the only film that portrays the entire rape culture and documents how rape is dealt with in America.”

Karges plans to visit all 50 states (hence the film’s title), interviewing victims of sexual assault and the people working tirelessly to end this problem. His goal is a minimum 1,000 interviews.

“We have many powerful interviews already lined up, but if you are a survivor of sexual assault or rape, I would like to talk to you,” Karges says. “Let your voice joins thousands as we stand together and say, ‘No more.’”

Here are some startling statistics:

• 98 percent of rapists never spend a day in jail(Department of Justice, Felony Defendants in Large Urban Counties, 2009)

• 1 out of every 33 rape victims is male(National Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women Survey, 1998)

• 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of a rape or attempted rape(National Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women Survey, 1998)

In order to finance this film, Karges launched an Indiegogo campaign, which is attempting to raise $2.3 million to produce this historic groundbreaking documentary. The campaign can be viewed at www.indiegogo.com/projects/50-states-of-rape

Karges partnered with a 501c3 nonprofit organization, From the Heart Productions, which will provide consulting and help obtain grants, sponsorships and private donations. As such, all donations through their Indiegogo campaign are tax deductible.

“This is the largest crowdfunding campaign ever put into motion for one of America’s largest unspoken problems,” notes Karges.

Donations of any amount are welcome. By supporting the production of 50 States of RAPE, people can help stop this horrific crime.

“This will be an unrelenting and powerful narrative,” Karges says. “Nothing is off limits. We want to provide a 100 percent accurate portrait of America and how rape is dealt with – or, more aptly, not dealt with.”